Care delayed at Fraser Coast emergency departments

Geoff has been working for the QT since August 2011 covering Ipswich’s rural areas. He started working for APN in January 2010 with the Chinchilla News in western Queensland after growing up on a grain farm. Geoff spends his time out of work watching far too much sport following the Reds, the Broncos and various American teams.

ONE quarter of the people with "potentially life-threatening” conditions fronting our emergency departments last month were not treated as quickly as they should have been.

Although all patients in immediate need of lifesaving care were seen within two minutes, some patients facing "imminent” and "potential” death had to wait.

Last month, 24 per cent of Maryborough Hospital emergency patients and 23 per cent of Hervey Bay Hospital emergency patients with "potentially life-threatening” needs were not seen within the recommended 30 minutes.

Overall, Queensland Health figures show 24 per cent of Hervey Bay emergency department patients and 20 per cent of Maryborough emergency department patients were not seen within the recommended time for their level of need.

In Maryborough 9 per cent of patients with "imminently life-threatening” needs had to wait more than the recommended 10 minutes.

No patients with immediately life-threatening needs were made to wait more than the recommended two minutes.

"(Wait times can be improved) by having adequate resources within the emergency department and adequate beds available within the hospital to accept admitted patients from the emergency department,” he said.

"The number of presentations fluctuates from month to month because of influenza and other diseases varying throughout the year and also non-predictable random variation.”

Dr Finn said better non-hospital options also reduced the pressure on emergency departments as patients could attend their GP for cases that were not as time-sensitive.

"Paramedics and our emergency department clinicians work tirelessly to make sure critically ill people were seen on time. They do a tremendous job of taking care of Queenslanders when we're sick.

"Queensland is leading Australia with emergency access targets by using an evidence-based and clinically supported approach to monitor the performance of emergency departments in Queensland.”

Ms Fentiman said 2017's serious flu season contributed to higher emergency department presentations, even in the summer months.

"There is no doubt last year's flu season contributed to a busy time for hospital staff across Queensland. More than 55,000 (55,723 as at December 19) cases of flu were confirmed in Queensland last year - more than three times higher than the five-year average.”

LNP leader Deb Frecklington said Queenslanders deserved a "world-class” health system they could rely on.

"The health budget increased by 8.5 per cent last year and yet patient numbers increased by only 5 per cent,” she said.

"Wait times should be dramatically improving but yet lazy Labor doesn't have a plan.”

"Our nurses, doctors and paramedics need more assistance to improve wait times. Labor needs to have targeted resources and a plan to provide better health services for Queenslanders.

"Rather than blaming the patients, the new Health Minister needs to get on with the job he is paid to do.” -NewsRegional